Safety seal



1934. A. MACONDRAY ET AL 1,969,757

SAFETY SEAL Filed Oct. 13, 1932 INVENTORS ATHERTON MACONDRAY.

MORRIS SMELLOW.

ATTOR NEY Patented Aug. 14, 1934 UNI-TED, s'rArss SAFETY SEAL I Atherton Macondray and Morris Smellow 1 i United States Navy Application-October 13, 1932, Serial No. 637,648

' Y Claims. (01. 229-78).

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 3700. G: 757) The invention relates broadly to a safety seal and more particularly to a safety seal-for envelopes and other folded and sealed papers.

An object of the invention is the provision of a metallic seal that is so attached to an envelope or other sealed or folded container that opening thereof cannot be eifected without detection.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described that is cheap to manufacture, easy to assemble into operative position, and efficient in operation.

With the above and other objects in View the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be described more fully hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views and in which Fig. 1 is a top view of the top part of the seal,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereof,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the bottom part of the seal,

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the inner member of the top part,

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the parts of the 301 seal in assembled position, and

Figs. '7 to 12 are views similar respectively of Figs. 1 to 6 illustrating a slightly modified form of seal. I

Referring more particularly to the drawing,

35.the invention is embodied in two parts, one of which is called herein the top part A and the other the bottom part B, which when assembled form a unitary member separable only with mutilation.

The top part A is a cap-shaped member having a hood 5 and a skirt 6 extending obliquely therefrom. The latter is crimped around the edge as shown in the drawing at 7, and is composed preferably of a thin soft pliable metal that is isjeasily bent, and which when bent is very difficult to restore to its original form, thereby affording indications that the seal had been tampered with. Depending from the interior of the hood 5 is a tubular member 8 having a cir- 5'0 cumferential flange 9 extending laterally and exteriorly thereof. It will be noted that the skirt projects slightly below the member 8 tending to draw the envelope C within the seal when the parts are assembled as shown in Fig. 6, thus profi viding another safety feature. The diameter of the depending member is less than that of the hood leaving a'space therebetween.

The bottom part B consists of a disc 10 and a sleeve 11 formed thereon in any desirable manner. In the drawing, we have shown the sleeve as being struck up centrally of the disc, but we do not limit ourselves to this particular construction, as the sleeve may be a separate piece soldered or otherwise attached to the disc. Interiorly extending projections 12 are struck out of the wall of the sleeve, which engage with the lip 9 when the top and bottom parts are assembled.

This invention is particularly applicable to envelopes or other sealed or folded containers that have four overlapping flaps. A hole is punched through each of the flaps so that when they are in folded position the holes are in substantial superposition with respect to one another. The sleeve of the bottom part B of the seal is placed through the holes and the disc brought against the inner face of the paper C (Fig. 6). The top part A is then placed over the bottom part so that the sleeve is positioned between the hood 5 and the depending member 8, and the two parts of the seal pressed together. As the top part is moved onto the bottom part the lip 9 causes the projections 12 to move toward the sleeve, but when the lip has passed beyond the end of the projections, because of their inherent resiliency, they spring back into the path of the lip firmly locking the two parts together. When the two parts are thus firmly secured together the skirt 6 engages the outer face of the paper C clamping it between the skirt and disc, providing an additional safety feature. 90

In Figs. '7 to 12 is shown a slightly different type of seal. The principle of the two types is basically the same; the difference residing in striking out the projections from the member depending from the top part instead of from the sleeve of the bottom member. In Fig. 8 the formation of the projection 12' may be seen. It will be noted that they are struck out from the depending member 8 and extend outwardly instead of inwardly as in the type first described. The projections 12 are adapted to engage under the lip 9 that is formed on the sleeve 11' carried by the disc 10. The operation and positive locking feature of the two types of seals are the same.

It will be understood that the above description and accompanying drawing comprehend only the general and preferred embodiments of our invention and minor details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be made within the scope of the appended claims and without 1m 1. A seal for a container having overlying flaps including in combination a top and a bottom member, said bottom member comprising a plate and a sleeve extending centrally therefrom and adapted to engage through the flaps, said top member comp-rising a cap-shaped portion, a crimped skirt extending obliquely therefrom, the skirt being of larger diameter than'the plate whereby the flaps are clamped therebetween upon I assembly of the bottom and top members, and a member depending interiorly of and spaced from the cap-shaped portion and adapted to enter into the sleeve when the parts are assembled, said bot tom and top members having interlocking means whereby the said members are maintained as a unitary structure when assembled.

'2. A seal for a container having overlying flaps including a top member provided with a capshaped portion, a skirt extending therefrom, a member depending from said portion and spaced therefrom, struck-out portions extending exteriorly of the depending member, a bottom member consisting of a plate, a. sleeve extending therefrom, and a lip extending laterally and interiorly of the sleeve for engagement with the struck-out portions whereby the top and bottom members are held interlocked when assembled.

ATHERTON MACONDRAY. MORRIS SMELLOW. 

